Stella Rosa Black
by 12BlueRoses
Summary: Its a dangerous time for mutants and Rogue is upset over a spat with Gambit even though they all have much more important things to worry about. New laws have passed, their lives are in danger and their world is about to topple. AU/Days of Future Past prequel. Rogue/Gambit and Wolverine/Storm Probably a oneshot, inspired by a roleplay storyline. Rating T for violence and imagery.


Stella Rosa Black. It was currently her favorite wine; it was a red blend semi-sweet and smooth; it was the only wine that replaced her favorite, Stella Red. It wasn't the most expensive wine but it wasn't anything to turn your nose up at either. Anna Marie could drink half a bottle before she felt that pleasant buzz and she usually split the bottle with Remy. He had given her a bottle for her birthday and they had been saving it; for one of those evenings by the fire when most of the Mansion's other residents were out. Tonight, she had opened that bottle out of spite as soon as she realized that he had taken off. Then staring at the open bottle, she realized that it really wouldn't be prudent to drink alone since she was liable to drink the whole thing. It might have been nice to get drunk and forget the most recent argument but she thought better of it; Cyclops was notorious for calling surprise Danger Room sessions first thing in the morning and going down with a hangover wasn't a pleasant thought. Then there was the fact that she would likely have to sit through a lecture from Scott about always being prepared or something to that effect; that wouldn't help a hangover either. She considered doing it anyway and taking a bit of Logan's healing factor, he would probably let her considering how many times he would go out drinking; though he had to knock back quite a few to get buzzed. Still, she was a senior X-Man and responsibility was kind of ingrained into her. Seeking out Ororo, she split the bottle with her friend and did a little bit of venting as well.

The night wore on and she eventually found herself pacing back and forth across her room for the last half hour; and that was because she had grown tired of trying to get some sleep. She had been tossing and turning until she had finally kicked her covers back in a huff. Before that, she had been sitting on the padded window seat watching the long, gravel driveway that lead up to the mansion intently. Straining for that noise she knew so well; that deep, rumble of the Cajun's Harley. The young woman once known only as Rogue had been intent on waiting up and giving him a piece of her mind but when the massive grandfather clock in the hallway had begun to strike two am, she had decided that she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing that she had waited up for him. Better to let him think that she had gone to bed hours ago and that she would not indulge his childish behavior. She changed her clothes and washed up before climbing into bed; it was then that she proceeded to twist this way and that beneath her covers. All of this brought her to pacing her room like a caged lioness; angry at him, angry at herself for caring about him, caring what he thought. Caring that he was going to get in trouble with Cyclops because leaving without informing anyone; especially given the recent laws that had just been passed. The government had decided that mutants were not really human and therefore undeserving of the same rights. It was more dangerous than ever for them to be out and about, especially alone without backup; all it took was someone catching sight of those eyes of his; those blazing embers that burned through her dreams.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Rogue changed into a pair of yoga pants, tank and sneakers with the intention of heading down to the danger room to blow off a little steam. Grabbing a hoodie off of the foot of her bed, she shrugged it on; Charles had helped her with the mental blocks that had hindered her control over her powers but she still didn't trust herself and she had grown so accustomed to being covered up that bare arms made her feel slightly naked. Half way down to the subbasement, she realized that the hoodie she had pulled on was one of his; one he had left in her room earlier when he had stormed out during their heated argument. Wrapped up in his cologne and that spicy scent that was his alone made her want to cry and hit something all at the same time. She decided on the latter; she wasn't about to let him see that she had been crying.

Setting the Danger Room's controls up as high as she could; there were safety protocols that prevented the settings from placed to high when someone was training alone; she set up a routine of rigorous exercise and bad guy thrashing. Nearly an hour later, she ended up laying on the cold, metal floor amongst the debris of destroyed holographic buildings and unconscious holographic villains, attempting to catch her breath. The doors to the Danger Room opened as Wolverine strode in, clad in jeans, work boots and flannel; he was chopping on an unlit cigar but said nothing as he came to plant his feet right beside her exhausted form. The Canadian X-Man surveyed the damage, his blue eyes squinted at the hologram of Sabretooth draped over a fallen beam and the hologram of a decapitated Deadpool crawling about, feeling for his head, vaguely wondering where Rogue had stashed it. He noted that there were no holograms of Gambit lying about, funny since when he was pissed at Cyke, he made an army of douchebag look-a-likes to get his frustrations out on. So this, he thought, was how they needed to take down their enemies, have Gumbo really piss off Rogue. All these years of battling villains and all they needed to do was get Rogue angry enough. He let out a noise that was part grunt, part laugh and stared down at the Southerner at his feet. "Ya done?"

"Yeah," Rogue said after another moment, her heart rate slowing, her breath becoming steady once more. "Ah think so."

"He's not back yet."

"Like Ah care."

He gave her a pointed look.

"Ok Ah do but after what he said…"

"What'd he do this time?" Logan held out his hand and she gripped his arm, allowing him to help her up.

"He-" Rogue paused, Logan had always been like a father, a big brother to her and he didn't really need to know what she had been doing with Remy before she stopped him from going too far. "He accused me of using mah powers as an excuse to push him away. Which is ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"How can ya even ask me that?"

Another pointed look.

"Ah don't know what controlling mah powers really feels like," Anna Marie threw her hands up in the air with a sigh of frustration. "Ah'm just goin' on mah gut, an' instinct."

"That's pretty much what we all do when it comes to our powers, darlin'."

"Remy LeBeau is my definition of losin' control. When Ah'm with him, Ah don't want ta worry that Ah'll suddenly absorb his whole life force."

"It's something' he's willin' ta risk."

"Ah'm not. Ah don't want ta hurt him, Wolvie. Ah would jus' die if Ah did."

"Seems ta me that I've heard that tune before."

"Are ya takin' his side on this?!" She gave him a glare that was more of a pout.

"I'm takin' your side. By tellin' ya not to be an idiot, girl. This is what you wanted for so long and now ya got it. Ya had ta isolate yourself for a long time, from the people who care about you, the people you care about and I'm sorry you had to do that, kid. No one should have ta live like that but you also used it as a buffer ta keep yourself from being hurt. And that's exactly what you're doing to the Cajun. You know there are plenty of us who are willing ta let you use them as a guinea pig, to learn that control but none of us would be as willing as Gambit."

"You of all people know how badly he can be hurt," Rogue charged, her voice trembling in spite of her tough guy stance.

"Or how badly you can be hurt if you let him in and it doesn't work out? Part of life, darlin', all part of life."

"Not that Ah should even be thinkin' 'bout any of this," Logan's words had hit a nerve and she couldn't keep them from soaking in but she could change the subject. "What with all of us not bein' considered human beings anymore."

"Man can change the laws but he can't change science," Logan accepted her tap dance around the issue, especially since he tried to keep mush down to a minimum but he said what needed to be said. "We're still human whether they want ta acknowledge it or not. We just gotta work a little harder is all. Not afraid of a little hard work are ya, Stripes?"

"No," Rogue smirked at the nickname he hadn't used in ages. "A lil' tired o' fightin' all the time, though."

"Times like these, ya either fight or get winnowed out. And I know you ain't the type ta fall by the wayside; when the time comes, ya won't hesitate ta fight. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. None of us would, it's why Chuck chose us. X-Men don't cut an' run."

"Gee thanks Coach," Rogue grinned at him as she plucked up Remy's hoodie and shrugged it on while they headed out of the Danger Room. "Ya know yer great at locker room pep talks?"

"Psh-" Logan paused and tilted his head as if listening to something. "Looks like I'm not the only one ya kept up. Storm's up in the kitchen."

Rogue knew that Logan could determine who was moving around by their scent and the sound of their gait. "Poor Storm," Anna Marie sighed as she cast a sidelong glance at her hirsute friend. "Second in command, she needs her sleep... Maybe y' could do somethin' ta help her out with that..."

"Get stuffed, kid," Wolverine muttered and Rogue could swear she saw him blush.

Anna Marie was one of the few people who could really get away with teasing Wolverine, though she also knew when enough was enough. She was about to needle him again when he held up his left fist that halted her in her steps; a military command that they had incorporated into their own command structure. His left hand still up halting her but his right hand suddenly unsheathed three foot-long claws and Rogue's heart hammered in her chest as every cell in her body became alert. "Logan?" She whispered, she had literally frozen the moment he had signaled; years of training had made them into a well-oiled machine and while her left foot was firmly planted, her right heel had been lifting to take a step; she hadn't moved a muscle.

"Somethin's-"

 _ **/X-MEN. WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. FIND COVER IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT ENGAGE. I REPEAT, DO NOT ENGAGE.\**_

Never in her young life had Rogue ever heard that in their beloved professor's voice: fear, panic… despair? Her emerald gaze slammed to Logan's, she knew that he had heard it, sensed it; it was nearly enough to shake their resolve.

"X-Men don't cut an' run," Rogue repeated his earlier words as her training overtook the fear she felt.

"Damn straight we don't," Wolverine answered as his game face slid over his features; his blue eyes hardening and he brought down his left hand as the claws slid out from their sheaths from there as well.

They emerged onto the ground level to an almost eerie silence that was interrupted suddenly by alarms, then the sounds of running, along the hallways, up and down stairs as the few students that had remained during the holiday break ran for their designated escape hatches. A well-oiled machine. Rogue suddenly gripped Logan's arm: "Remy's still out there!"

"The Cajun can take care of himself!" He answered her over the alarms with a finality in his voice. She needed to focus on the students and their attackers now and she knew she couldn't think about Remy right now.

The first X-Men they came across were Angel, Nightcrawler and Cyclops, herding a couple of children into the escape hatches. "We got to most of the kids down-"

Cyclops stopped short as the lights went out and the alarms ceased so suddenly that Rogue was left with a ringing in her ears; and dread in her heart. And then the explosions. The windows closest to them blew in, the sound of shattering glass causing Rogue to cry out as she ducked instinctively to protect her face when she felt a pair of strong but gentle arms wrap around her. Then suddenly, she was across the room, the faint scent of sulfur around her; Rogue looked up at her foster brother who had acted far more quickly than she had; and teleported her away from the flying shards. Even now Wolverine was striding towards them, his healing factor sealing up the wounds caused by the razor sharp shards; normally he would have teased the blue-skinned teleporter for playing favorites but not now; Logan would have fared far better in that rain of glass than Rogue; simple choice. All part of their training.

"Logan, find Bobby," Cyclops barked, his right shoulder had sustained several gashes from the glass but nothing too serious.

"He was wiping the hard drives," Warren called over his shoulder as he pushed the last two students into the hatches. His snowy white wings had traces of blood and Rogue prayed that it wasn't too bad. Logan gave her a solemn nod as he ran off toward the labs.

"Kurt! Get to the Professor!"

Rogue looked back at her brother, her bottom lip firmly between her teeth in an attempt to hold back the tears that pricked at her eyes. The German X-Man, gave his sister a quick but very tight hug and a reassuring kiss to the forehead.

"Kurt! Get to the Professor, NOW!"

Nightcrawler was gone in a puff of smoke and Rogue turned to their leader for instructions. "Rogue! Run upstairs, check the rooms and then get to a hatch!"

"But the school!"

"Right now, its just a building."

There were several, sudden crashes as something smashed it way through the walls and the two X-Men ducked out of the way of the falling mortor and brick. Fear squeezed Rogue's heart with icy, skeletal fingers as she recognized the metal coils that crashed through the walls of their sanctuary, their home. Sentinels. They had been briefed on them but she had hoped and prayed that they would never see them. The sound of gunfire drew their attention and through the shattered windows, they could see armed militia racing towards the mansion. 

"Go!" Cyclops suddenly shoved Rogue from him. "Find a hatch and go! You too, Warren. Find the others, regroup, that's an order!"

"But the students!"

"If they're not out by now…" Cyclops watched as the militia fired on someone outside. He couldn't make out just who it was but he saw the silhouette fall. "Run, Anna Marie! Find the others."

He turned his back on her and headed out to hold off the militia. Rogue wanted to march out with him, stand her ground but she knew she couldn't. They would pick her off before she had a chance to fight; she was unarmed and outnumbered. She ran down the nearest corridor and hoped the nearest hatches were still operable; she also hoped that anyone she ran into along the way was a friend. No such luck. She ducked into another corridor and hid inside the library just as a group of militia smashed into the parlor windows. Keeping her eyes on the men marching through her home, trying to block out the screams of her loved ones, Rogue backed up towards the nearest bank of hatches and nearly tripped over something. Looking down, she realized that the ceiling above the library had fallen in, the debris had partially destroyed some of the wall with the escape hatches. She made out two, small, distinct forms and her stomach roiled with nausea as she realized they weren't moving. Two students who had been attempting to use the hatches when the ceiling collapsed. She turned away, her hand over her mouth and her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to wipe away the sight that would be burned into her memory forever.

"Miss Anna?" Rogue turned suddenly when she heard the weak voice. The two bodies had not moved but as she scanned the area, she saw another student trapped beneath the fallen beams. She was a few feet away from the hatches, that was what had saved her… or not.

"Luna!" Rogue swiftly knelt beside the slight girl with the very pale skin and the loveliest lilac-colored hair anyone had ever seen. Even Betsy had been envious of it. "Hang on shugah, Ah'll have ya outta there-"

"No," Luna reached up to still Rogue's hand. "If you move the beam, the rest of the room will collapse and they'll come."

"But-!"

"I know I'm dying."

"Luna," Rogue had seen the pool of blood growing wide around the girl's midsection. Upon further inspection, she could see that the beam had all but crushed the tiny girl. Horrifyingly, it seemed that it was the only thing keeping her alive. "Luna… Ah'm so sorry."

"Don't be. We were the ones sneaking ice cream after curfew. If we'd been upstairs…"

"Oh, God, Luna," Rogue was struggling to keep down the sobs that threatened to bubble up. "Ah'm so sorry we couldn't protect you. Ah'm so sorry we let ya down."

"But you didn't, Miss Anna," the girl's voice seemed to be fading. "You, all of you, you're the only ones who never failed us. You'll fix everything, I know you will."

"Ah'll stay with you," Rogue whispered, brushing the debris from Luna's fair cheeks as more loud crashes and explosions rocked the old mansion. The escape hatches were damaged, militia swarming the house; there was no way out. "Ah'll be right here."

"No," Luna shook her head slightly. "You have to fly."

"Ah can't," Rogue said. "Ah don't have that power set anymore."

"But you can have mine. I can fly. I didn't before because we were supposed to use the hatches… and I couldn't fly away and leave my friends. Take my power, fly away… save our friends."

"Luna, Ah can't-!"

"I'd rather fade away from your mind than fade away here, or watch them take you. Please! If they find us…"

Rogue didn't want to think of what would happen if they found them. They sure as hell wouldn't let Luna pass peacefully. "Goodbye Luna." "Goodbye, Miss Anna." Leaning down, Rogue pressed her lips to the fragile girl's smooth forehead and pulled with her powers. Luna's powers, memories and psyche flooded into her. As soon as she straightened up, Anna Marie heard the exhale, Luna's last breath. Sparing a last glance at the students she had lost, Rogue rose to her feet and took off through the ruined ceiling and found that most of the mansion's roof was gone. Dark clouds and wind had descended upon the mansion; Storm was still alive somewhere; Anna's heart leapt with some measure of hope as she searched the area for the Windrider though the strong winds threatened to toss her from the sky. What she saw instead were the sentinels, their home crawling with militia and on the once beautiful lawn, her friends, her family, laying defeated and dying. She could see the collars, even from that distance, depowered they had no chance of fighting back. Rage mingled with the fear that had settled within her and she glowered at the invaders, these murderers. Maybe with Luna's flight, she had an advantage; if Storm was still around then maybe… Anna knew she would likely seem like a hummingbird attacking an elephant but she had to try. She had to attempt to take these monsters down. Floating up higher, she thought to get some momentum, perhaps she could get enough to do some damage.

 _ **/ANNA MARIE. ORORO. LOGAN. LEAVE. DO NOT ENGAGE. SAVE YOURSELVES. THE SENTINELS ARE TOO STRONG.\**_

The psychic blast that followed nearly knocked Anna Marie from the sky; the pain in her head was nearly all encompassing; and he succeeded in sending her hurtling away. She clutched her head between her hands, putting pressure on her temples as if she could squeeze him out but he was too strong and the pain too intense. She wasn't sure anymore which way was up and it wasn't until she hit the ground that the pain began to fade. Still disorientated, she tried to rise but she lost her footing and began to tumble down a deep slope. Grabbing at branches, her hands met with air as she rolled down towards the shoreline, she must have flown farther than she thought to get away from the painful blast. She cried out as something, a rock perhaps jarred her side and she came to land with a thud on the soft sand. The nearby ocean crashed against the cliffs but all she heard was the soft whisper as Luna's psyche finally faded. 'Thank you, Miss Anna.' It was the final straw. Rogue finally allowed the tears to come; rolling over on her right side, for her left was throbbing, Anna Marie sobbed into the sleeve of the sweater. Had they not been muffled, the sounds of her sobs would have been unbearable to hear. The anguish, the pain, the loss… the rage. They were the sobs of someone who had watched their world die; who had watched all she loved murdered and the sound would stab the heart of any who heard. Something final and fundamental shattered within her that night. Her sobs mourned and raged. She all but shrieked at her own impotence. It was raw emotion, raw wounds, raw agony.

It wasn't long before she lay there on the beach, completely spent, too exhausted to even keep her eyes open or lift her head from the sleeve of that sweater. That's when it happened. The warm, sultry, spicy scent assailed her nose and her senses as she lay there wrapped up in his scent; Gambit. He was still out there somewhere. Ororo. Logan. The professor's final message ignited hope once more within her. She had to find them. She had to find her family. She could still hear Cyclops: Run, Anna Marie! Find the others! And Luna: Save our friends. Ororo! Logan! Forcing her eyes open, Rogue pushed herself up with great effort; her ribs on her left side had been bruised or maybe cracked in her fall but she gritted her teeth and finally rose to her feet. Off in the distance, she could just make out Manhattan; it looked like the island itself was burning. The Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Spiderman… they all lived there. The Avengers had mutants on their team and she doubted they would just give them up without a fight. The sentinels probably didn't care which superpowered beings were mutants and which ones weren't anyway. She headed that way anyway; each step jarring her ribs; they couldn't all have perished she mused. She needed to find Ororo and Logan and Remy. Her family was counting on her.


End file.
